You Can't Escape
by Kawaii Stella
Summary: Hacker is up to no good close to Halloween. However, it is not clear what he is up to. In the middle of investigating Matt's world gets messed up. Can Matt save himself and his friends and stop Hacker? Book 1 in Things Unknown Saga.
1. I

**Author's Note: Hey! Happy Halloween eveyone! Here is the first chapter of my special Haloween story! I regret that the entire thing won't be up today, but will by the end of next weekend. Then all of my attention will be on Things Unkown. Well that and a big old book report due the week of Thanksgiving thanks to my English teacher. Oh well. I hope ya'll have a great Halloween and enjoy my story. Please R&R! ~Kawaii Stella**

_Disclaimer: Once again I do not own Cyberchase. However Amelia, Maisy, and Mark are mine. I don't own the Pittsburg Penguins either although that would be awesome! XD _

You Can't Escape

A Special Cyberchase Halloween Fan Fiction

By: Kawaii Stella

It was October, and for many, including the Cybersquad, it brought the excitement of Halloween. Many signs pointed to its upcoming arrival. The yard decorations, the advertisements for haunted housed, costumes, and giant bags of decorated candy for trick-or-treaters. Children, teenagers, and adults alike were making plans for Halloween. Inez, Matt, and Jackie were well on their way to completing their plans ahead of time. Being the best friends that they are, they had discussed their new costumes for this year and where they wanted to trick-or-treat this year.

The week before Halloween finally came around and the excitement was almost tangible in the air. Friday after school the kids went to Matt's house out on his family's farm. They decided to hang in the barn, up in the hay loft and talked about their costumes. Matt was going to be hockey goalie Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburg Penguins, Inez was dressing as Cat Woman, and Jackie was to be a gothic rag doll. The kids believed that they would be the best looking trick-or-treaters on the block. As they began to discuss where they wanted to trick or treat, Motherboard came on the old TV that had been stored in the loft.

"Cybermates, Hacker is up to no good in Castleblanca."

"What is he doing," Jackie asked.

"Not sure," Motherboard said as her screen became fuzzy with static. "That's…I…you…figure…out." With that a portal came from the TV, sucking the three kids out of the barn and sending them to Cyberspace.

Upon landing in Castleblanca and meeting up with Digit, they tried to figure out just what in the world was going on. The four gathered at the Eerie Inn to decide what to do first.

"What do we do first guys?" Inquired Inez.

"We don't even know what Hacker is up to," Digit added. "I'm confused why we're even here."

"We might not know what he is up to now," Matt started, "But because it's Hacker, it can't be anything good."

To this they all agreed, They set off for Hacker's castle. The very one where he had tried to bring his monster Gigabyte to life by attempting to steal Dr. Marbles' brainpower. However, this time the little troll was nowhere to be found guarding the grounds. The Grim Wreaker was indeed in front of the castle, so Hacker what there without a doubt. To get a better look on the situation, Digit flew up to the open turret of the castle and peeked inside. He did not see anything suspicious, which in itself was odd. He saw a long table at the end of the room that had a long, forest green runner down the middle. Placed in the middle of the runner was a three-candle wrought iron candelabrum with three, lit crimson candles. A few cyberfeet away there were two large steamer trunks covered in aged leather. Finally, there were several old books, small and large, many leather-bound. He didn't see Hacker, Buzz, or Delete anywhere so he flew back down to the ground to tell the others.

"What did you see Dige?" Inez asked.

Digit proceeded to tell the others what he saw. Jackie supposed that Hacker was possibly just doing some interior decorating. Matt, on the other hand, didn't think so. He took his yo-yo out of his backpack and started yo-yoing, trying to think of an idea. Then he heard a voice; Hacker's voice as a matter of fact. While the others were focuses on something showing on the Squakpads, Matt snuck off to try and hear what Hacker was saying, even though it was still hard to hear up close.

"I almost have everything that I need. The books, the pots, the amuts," Hacker's voice began to fade away but became a bit louder once again. "I need now the Keys of Spiritalia and Celtinia. With the power of…" Hacker's voice grew quiet yet again. Several long moments later the young red headed boy heard the clanking of glasses and caught only one bit of what would have been a very useful bit of information. Matt heard the word "spheres" and only that single word alone. Then out of a window high up in the turret, a sealed glass vial fell and hit Matt on the head although it did not shatter. It did, however, knock him down and sprinkle a few droplets of its contents on him. How he got sprinkles with the liquid was quite peculiar, as the vial was corked. The liquid smelled unusual yet fruity.

It took a few moments for Matt to regain his footing. He heard the others come his way, so he snatched up the vial and put it in his backpack unsure of what to do with it. He had a feeling deep in his gut that the others shouldn't know about the vial, so he quickly decided to omit the vial from his story.

"There you are, Matt," Inez called. "Why did you wonder off?"

"I – I heard Hacker talking," Matt answered.

"Really? What did he say?" Jackie asked, dying to know the details.

"I didn't hear much," Matt admitted. "But I did hear some things." Matt proceeded to tell the others what he heard.

Although Matt didn't think what he heard was very important, Digit certainly did.

"We need to tell Motherboard this as soon as possible," Digit said. "Let's head back to Control Central now."

Jackie, Matt, and Inez nodded in agreement. A portal opened and as it did, a lone, loud howl of a wolf sliced through the air. The sound sent a bone-chilling shiver through all of them. All four jumped into the portal and made their way back to Control Central.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Control Central~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

They landed on the floor with a thud. It didn't really hurt anymore, since they had been falling out of portals for a while now. Motherboard greeted the Cybersquad warmly.

"Greetings, Cybermates. I hope your investigation went well?"

"To a certain extent, yes," Inez started.

"I heard a few things," said Matt. "But what I heard was really weird."

"Please explain," Motherboard asked.

So Matt told Motherboard all that he had heard even though he didn't understand most of it himself. He still omitted the vial from his story.

"I don't understand what Hacker meant by pots, amuts, and the keys of Spiritalia and Celtinia," Matt concluded.

"Nor do I Matt," Motherboard admitted. "Until I do understand, I feel it is best that the three of you return to Earth.

They all said their goodbyes and the Earthlies headed towards the Earth-bound portal at the end of the room. As the left Jackie noticed a smell coming from Matt.

"Hey Matt, you smell really fruity. Are you wearing perfume?" Jackie asked with a giggle.

When Jackie notices the smell that the liquid in the vial had left behind, Matt became very afraid that he had been caught. He quickly made up an excuse that would explain the smell.

"It's shampoo," he explained. "I ran out of my normal shampoo this morning so I had to use my cousins."

"Oh, is she still staying with you? Your cousin is so nice; do you think she would give me advice on my writing? She is such an excellent writer." Inez asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure she would. I'll talk to her about it."

The kids, now in the portal, saw the light at the end of their swirling tunnel. They fell out into the hayloft, exactly where they had been before their adventure began. No sooner than they had re-entered their world, two cars drove up the long driveway up to the house. The two cars belonged to Jackie and Inez's parents. It was time for the girls to go home. The kids now noticed that the sun had begun to set. Once the girls had left, Matt finished up his evening chores.

After milking the cow, feeding the chickens and the pig, and putting fresh water in the troughs, Matt knew something was up. He hadn't felt quite right since the incident with that vial. As he thought about the vial, he took it out of his backpack. Upon removing it from the bag, Matt noticed that it was very decorated.

The vial was bulbous at its base but had a slim neck. The neck was wrapped in an elegant silk ribbon, colored scarlet. Along the bottle was writing in a foreign language, one that Matt had never seen before. Upon closer inspection, the bottle was clear while its contents were a light green color.

That was all the time he had to look at the mysterious vial because his mother caller him to dinner.

At the dinner table sat four people. A shook up Matt who was trying to keep his cool, his mother Maisy, his dad Mark, and Matt's cousin Amelia. Maisy had fixed a scrumptious meal of pork chops, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, macaroni and cheese, and biscuits. Everyone had full plates that would surely be cleaned. Matt ate silently and did not join in on the mealtime conversation. When Mark asked Amelia what he latest project was, she began to tell him about how she was tricking out her new laptop. As Amelia went into specifics over her operating system, Matt thought that Amelia would get along well with Dr. Marbles. Even though Amelia talked animatedly about her computer, she was worried about Matt. He hadn't teased her once this evening.

The family finished their meal and cleaned up the table. As Maisy cleaned the dishes with Matt, Mark and Amelia went into the living room to watch the Penguins vs. Flyers hockey game on TV. In the kitchen, Maisy finally broke down and asked Matt what was the matter.

"Honey," she began, "What's wrong? You're awfully quiet."

"I'm fine mom; it's just been a long day."

"Okay," Maisy hugged her son. "If you want to talk, I'm always here."

"I know, thanks," Matt said as he hugged her back. "Let's go watch the game."

The rest of the night was somewhat relaxing. As the evening grew into night it was time fore bed for Matt and Amelia too, since she was only sixteen. As the trod up the stairs, a foul, horrendous stench filled the living room. It was the stench of rotting flesh and blood. Mark, armed with a flashlight and his shotgun went outside to see what the stench came from. After a few minutes Maisy noticed that her son and niece had not gone to bed. She made them vacate their seats on the stairs and sent them to clean up for bed. But, as they went upstairs, Mark returned to tell his wife where the smell came from.

Super-sneaky like, Amelia and Matt flattened themselves against the wall where the adults couldn't see so they could hear what happened.

"What was is?" asked Maisy.

"Coyotes left a deer carcass at the edge of the yard. Those darn coyotes completely annihilated that doe. Don't worry, I got rid of it."

"Dear," Maisy whined, "you're covered in blood and guts!"

Before Mark could say anything in his own defense, the pack of coyotes that killed the deer all began to howl at once. A chorus of about twenty howls pierced the night sky and sent Amelia and Matt running to their rooms. The sound was ominous, and it made Matt feel that he couldn't escape. Surprisingly he fell asleep quickly, but fell into a slurry of dreams just as fast and those dreams were very disturbing.


	2. II

**A/N: I know this is really short but the next chapter is longer. Please R&R!**

You Can't Escape

II

It was dark but Matt could still see the terrible things around him. Terrible creatures with glowing red eyes and sharp teeth covered in blood. Various skulls and bones were scattered everywhere, as were rotting carcasses of different species. Some though, were clearly identifiable as human.

On every stone, path, and blasé of grass were droplets and splatters of crimson blood. Screams of anguish fill the already chilled air as Matt stumbles down the wooded path. Around those trees were shackles that were rusted and empty yet still locked and from the limbs of the trees hung nooses, about to come apart. A rattling sound came from the trees that ended when a skull fell to Matt's feet.

That pulled the last straw and completely unnerved Matt. He took off at a sprint, trying to get out of that nightmarish realm. Yet as he ran a voice followed him. It called:

"You can't run forever, boy…"

"You SHALL be trapped here."

"Poor, poor young boy, you can NEVER escape!" The voice condemned, following with a maniacal laugh. After what seemed like a thousand eternities and endless toil, Matt finally reached the end of the dark, soul-sucking tunnel.


	3. III

**A/N: Here is chapter III! I hope you like it! Please read and review! Oh, by the way, Amelia, Maisy, and Mark are mine. I know that others have called Matt's father Mark before but my character is completely different from the other Marks, so I promise I didn't steal him. From the previous chapter Spiritalia and Celtinia are mine as well. OK, Here it is! Please Enjoy!**

**P.S.: The vision was created by a friend of mine who will be appearing in future stories as well. Great job, Commander K! The use of your mini gun in my story is much appreciated. :)**

III

At around 2:30 a.m. Amelia made her way back from the kitchen with a glass of water. She walked by Matt's room and noticed the door was open a crack. Amelia heard Matt talking in his sleep. She didn't think much of it really. She thought that upon hearing Matt talking in his sleep, that that trait must be hereditary because she had been too. That's when Matt screamed.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Matt's scream shook Amelia out of her sleepy daze. She slammed her glass onto the hallway end table and sprinted into his room. In his bed matt flailed about, trying to break free of his nightmare. Amelia quickly grabbed hold of his and shook him awake. Dazed, but relieved to be awake, Matt stared at his cousin with wide eyes. Then he leaped up into Amelia's arms as he tried not to scream again. After a few moments she finally asked:

"What happed?'

Matt wanted to tell her everything, including what happened in Cyberspace but he was afraid to.

"Honey, you look like you're having a major internal conflict," Amelia said.

Matt finally decided to tell Amelia about Cyberspace and his adventures there.

"Maye?" Matt called Amelia by his nickname for her. "What if I told you about a place where I go that not many in our world believed existed?"

"I'd believe you. Is this about Cyberspace?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"When you stayed at my place awhile back you talked about it in your sleep."

"Oh, then how did you know it was real?"

"Well, let me show you. That'll make more sense."

Amelia sprinted to her room and grabbed a notebook off her desk and an old photo album from the bookshelf. Amelia ran back to her room, not bothering to be quiet as Aunt Maisy and Uncle Mark could sleep through a dynamite blast. However, upon re-entering the room, Amelia's eyes glowed purple as she began to have a vision.

_A slim man was at the door. _

_'Hi,' said Bren as he charged forth into the room, bearing a mini gun, locked and loaded. Then he began spraying down Amelia and Matt while yelling: 'Die you freaks!" Blood spilt out onto the ground as bullets punctured their hearts and other vitals. Once their bodies fell to the ground lifeless, Bren did a little happy dance around their soon to be rotting carcasses. The intruder then shouted: 'I win! Quest complete with one level up and a plus five dexterity bonus!' as if he was in some kind of odd game._

After a few moments the vision ended as she shook her head and muttered: "I gotta up the security on this place."

"What," Matt asked.

"Nothing."

Amelia went and sat on Matt's bed and held the photo album close to her heart.

"What is that Maye?"

"These are pictures from when I was younger. As you know, I've been all over the place. Yet, due to something that happened long ago that I don't remember, I can't remember much of my past. These pictures make up nearly all of the memories I have of my travels. I know you will recognize one of the places I've been, along with one of my friends there."

"Where? Who?" Matt asked as Amelia flipped to a page just a little past the middle until she found the page she wanted.

"Here," she said as she placed the album in Matt's lap.

The first picture showed what looked like a mega skate park. It was none other than the Cybersite Radopolis. The second picture on the first page showed skaters all over the place, probably in the middle of some gnarly tricks. On the second page the photo at the top showed a boy and a girl skateboarding together. The photo below it, the fourth and final picture, showed the same skaters side-by-side with their arms slung over each other's shoulders. The skaters were a young Amelia and Slider.

"This is Radopolis," Matt exclaimed, "You've been to Radopolis?"

"Yep, sure have. I used to be a pretty good skater too.

"Wait a minute. Maye, is this Slider?" Matt asked.

"Yes, he and I were like siblings. At least, that's what I remember."

Now that her know that Maye know about Cyberspace, Matt felt much better. He proceeded to tell her what had happened that afternoon. As Matt recounted his adventure, Maye vigorously too notes. Upon getting to the part about the vial, Matt got up and fetched it from his backpack. He gave it to Maye and hoped she know what it was. She put down her notebook and pen, and began to analyze the small vial. Amelia uncorked the vial sniffing its contents, and commented: "Geez! This stuff is fruitier than my shampoo!"

"Ha Ha," Matt laughed, "That's what I told Jackie and Inez! Somehow some of that stuff got on me and so I told them it was your shampoo!"

"Crazy boy," Maye said, chuckling, "Let's analyze the info we have."

She took out her notebook again and made a chart. "We have this vial, which I believe explains why you heard the word 'pots'," she said.

"How?"

"Simple, when you think of a vial what comes to mind?"

"I dunno, potions?"

"Exactly! That leads me to think that we're dealing with some kind of magic. Therefore, I believe when Hacker said 'amuts' he meant amulets. The leather bound books were most likely spell books."

"Wow, I never thought of that. By the way, do you know what the label says," Matt inquired of his cousin.

"Hmm… 'Mar Negiht fo No Sed M'. That's Celtinian I believe. I don't know a lot of that language but I believe it means 'Nightmare of Demons'".

"That would explain a lot," Matt said and then told his cousin about his nightmare.

"Oh baby," she said as she took Matt into her arms. "That's horrible! I promise I will find the antidote to that awful potion. Until then," she got up and rand back into her room.

Inside her room she opened the decorated cabinet door on her bookshelf. The open door revealed amulets, and dream catchers hanging from hooks and various vials and potions and stones lined up and in baskets. She grabbed the dream catcher with the pure white ribbon and feathers and a white candle. The candle adorned an intricately carved crescent moon on it. From her nightstand drawer she grabbed a box of matches and made her way beck to Matt's room.

The first thing she did was hand the dream catcher from the bedpost. Then she placed the candle on the nightstand and lit it, and a clean aroma began to fill the room.

"There," Maye said, happy with her temporary solution. "That should help keep nasty spirits and dreams at bay."

"You're doing all this for me? How do you know so much about this stuff?"

"Of course, you're my baby cousin and my beta, my second in command. I love you kiddo, you know that I'll always for you and with you."

"The way of the pack," Matt said, recognizing the quota of the Valley Pack.

"You betcha. Now get some sleep."

"'Kay."

Within moments Matt was asleep again. Amelia tucked him into bed but left the candle burning for his protection. She said a quick prayer for their wellbeing as she left the room, leaving the door open a crack. When she went back into her with her glass of water she left her door open a bit as well so that she could hear if Matt woke up again. Amelia certainly hoped that he didn't, but she never knew. She on the other hand would not be sleeping, she had work to do.


	4. IV

**A/N: I finally got around to publishing this chapter, and the next one is well on its way to being finished. There is not a lot of drama in this one but there will be drama soon! I would like to thank Jessica12357 for her wonderful reviews, they mean a lot! Well, enough of my rambling, on with the show! Please R&R!**

IV.

Maye quickly got to work even though she was still in her pajamas. She strapped he HATCD or Handheld Automatic Touch-screen Control Device; or, as she liked to call it, her hi-tech gauntlet. It controlled her holographic computer system, so, instead of using a keyboard and mouse, she controlled everything with her hands by touching the holographic images. Then, quietly, she got out her analyzing equipment and set it up. With the analyzer hooked up, Maye pulled on latex gloves and put on safety glassed. She wasn't taking any chances with that screwed up stuff; she even decided to tie back her hair before she started.

Ready to start, Amelia grabbed the vial and uncorked it, its fruity scent taking over the room. The smell was terrible; it made her want to gag. She quickly grabbed a clean syringe and retrieved a few millimeters of liquid from the vial and re-corked it so the cent would go away. With the syringe in hand, she walked over the analyzer and injected the liquid into a small container attached to the analyzer. The syringe, now empty, was put into a hazardous material bag and filed away in a filing cabinet she kept evidence in. With the liquid in the analyzer, she snapped the small container shut and turned the analyzer on. It took at least half an hour to do its job with a basic mixture of just a few ingredients, so who knew how long it would take to figure out what the potion was.

While that was being analyzed, Amelia did her research over what Matt had told her. She took of the latex gloves as she mulled over what he had said. She had head of Spiritalia and Celtinia before. Those were places of great spiritual and magical power. She, along with all other Spirit Guardians, had been warned to never mess with those powers. The consequences for using those powers for evil were dire; once let loose, the wrong spirits of the two small nations, Celtinia and Spiritalia, were nearly impossible to catch as the brought havoc upon all. Even the one who let the evil spirits loose with the Keys was not safe from their wrath.

Within the spirit realm there were two areas separate from the rest of the realm. They were the countries of Celtinia and Spiritalia. Each country itself was divided in two by the opposing sides of good versus evil. For eons the two sides of each country had been locked in conflict against their opposing side. Only recently has an alliance been made between countries, Amelia remembered learning. The sides of good paired with one another and the evil spirits did the same.

The evil spirits became restless and longed to be free of the spirit realm. Many of the spirits had tried to lure the Guardians into freeing them by offering them massive amounts of power. Thankfully, none had fallen for the devious trap. Because the spirits could only reach our world by Guardians now the only way that Hacker could've know was by…. "The old written legends!" Amelia blurted out loud.

Matt had said that Hacker had a lot of old books. One of them must have been from the old days when Guardians were allowed to write on the ways of obtaining great power and allowing spirits to walk with the living. Due to too many people trying to harness that power, now only Guardians could communicate with spirits, with the exceptions of true mediums or the need of a great land bound; those who are greatly talented in certain ways yet not a spirit nor Guardian.

**BEEEEP!**

The analyzer beeped, stating that it was done. The shrill beep snapped Amelia out of her research. Even though she had her search engine ready, she had done most of her research in her mind. Amelia didn't think that she had been thinking that long, but her alarm clock and wall clock told her otherwise.

"Man, it's almost four a.m. I only have a few hours before I have to leave for hockey practice. Time to get down to business," She said as she uploaded the results of the analyzer's scan onto her laptop. She yawned as she read the list of ingredients. They were simple, yet she was positive they came from a very complex recipe. Since the labeling on the vial was Celtinian, she began cross referencing the ingredients with Celtinian potions. Hopefully, she would find a match and a way to reverse it.

While her computer did its work, Maye gathered a variety of stones all cut in various ways. She also gathered a few different herbs, along with a leather cord with a clasp, a small square of gold plated metal, and laser pen, and a mortar and pestle. Mayer placed these things on her work desk and got busy making a special amulet for Matthew's protection for when she would be gone today.

The jewels, each with its own special power, were arranged in an intricate pattern. Using the mortar and pestle she ground the herbs together and would mix it with and adhesive in a few moments. She had cut the metal into a hexagonal shape that fit the intricate pattern perfectly. Bending a strip of the metal and bent it back to create a loop, she welded it together, making the base of the pendant. The adhesive mixed together with the herbs gave off a scent similar to that of a honeysuckle. After several minutes the piece was finished. Amelia finally slid the pendant onto the leather cord.

"Finished," she declared as the first few rays of sunlight rose from behind the hills. Amelia wrote a short note on her personalized stationary and sat the amulet on top of it. She would put it in Matt's room when she left.

"Five-thirty," she said. "Just enough time to get ready for hockey practice." *yawn* "It's gonna be rough with only a few hours of sleep."

At ten to six Amelia tip-toed into Matt's room and put the note and amulet on the nightstand. The candle was halfway burned down, Now that the sun was rising, the candle wouldn't be needed anymore so Amelia blew out the flame. Amelia took one last look at Matt, whispered: 'Be safe, Beta. I love you," and walked out of the room swinging her duffle bag over her shoulder as she went. She prayed that by the time she got back she would know how to make the antidote.


	5. V

**A/N: Chaper 5! This chapter shows a little bit of romance but gets serious and dramatic near the end. Here you get to meet Maye's boyfriend. His design comes from pokemon so I don't own his appearance. If I did, he would be in every single episode! Anyway I do own his personality and all his secrets that you don't know yet! I invented the Reily Sports Center, Henrysville Jaguars, and Coach Harding so no copying without my permission. Enough with the disclaimers already! Please read and review!**

You Can't Escape

V.

Sun shone through the window across the room. Its heat warmed Matt's face just enough to where it woke him from his silent slumber. Matt thought that upon waking was that it was amazing he hadn't had another nightmare. The room still smelled like the candle even though it had been extinguished. That's when he noticed the note and the amulet. The note read:

Dear Matt,

This amulet is for your own protection. I am working towards an antidote but until I do please wear this amulet. It is specially designed to keep demons at bay. I know. I use the same jewels for a similar purpose. Anyway, stay safe today while I'm gone. Soon this will all be over and I can take you and your friends trick-or-treating on Halloween. I love you kiddo, be safe.

Love, Amelia

"Okay, Amelia, I trust you," He says as he fastens the leather chord and pendant around his neck.

"Matt! I know its Saturday, but it is time to get up!" Matt's mother yelled up the stairs.

"Okay, Mom!" Matt yelled back.

Matt looked at the clock and sees that it is nine-thirty in the morning. He quickly took a shower and got dressed. He wanted to eat breakfast before he did anything else. After dressing in his signature outfit plus the amulet he noticed that his SKWAK Pad was blinking with a message. I was from Inez. It read: 'Matt, Jackie and I are going to the library to discuss what happened yesterday. Please meet us there at 11.'

Matt replied 'OK' to the message and hurried downstairs for breakfast. After finishing his breakfast and telling his mom goodbye, Matt left for the library.

At the library, Matt joined the girls at a table in a back corner. They greeted each other and quickly got down to work. Matt didn't know what they were planning. Only when Inez mentioned last night's events did Matt understand what the girls were referring to. Jackie suggested that they go investigate.

"Guys, I have a feeling that we need to go back to Castleblanca," Jackie suggested. "We need to find out what Hacker wants to do with all of that stuff he had."

Matt figured telling the girls some of the information he found wouldn't be a bad idea. "Guys, I did some thinking last night about what 'pots' and 'amuts' could be. I think I now know what they are."  
"What are they Matt?" Inez wanted to know.

"Potions and amulets."

The girls nodded in agreement.

"Now, we just need to figure out what Hacker meant by 'spheres'," Inez said.

"Maybe we should go back to Castleblanca this evening to look for any plans Hacker may have," Matt suggested.

"I think that's a good idea," Jackie added. "I will see if you guys can come over to my house this afternoon. We need to work on out history presentation anyway."

"Good idea, Jacks," complimented Inez. "Does that sound good to you, Matt?"

"Shure, works for me. It will give me plenty of time to get the rest of my chores done."

"Then it's settled." Inez said. "What time should we come to your house, Jackie?"

"About three-thirty should be fine," Jackie answered.

"Three-thirty it is then," Matt said. "I should be going if I want to finish my chores on time."

Matt said goodbye and left the library to head for home. Actually, he wasn't worried about finishing his chores on time, he know he would finish his chores easily and quickly. What Matt was really worried about was whether Amelia had come any closer to finding an antidote. Matt looked at his watch and saw that it was eleven-fifteen. Maye's hockey practice wouldn't be over for another fifteen minutes. Saturday practices started at six thirty and lasted five hours. However, Matt had learned to never underestimate his cousin; she always had a trick up her sleeve.

As Matt entered the barn to finish his chores, he had complete faith in that Amelia would help him through this. With that thought Matt fingered the amulet around his neck, but a quick thought flashed through his head. It was about something Amelia said in her note. She had said she used the same jewels for a similar purpose as his. What had she meant by that? Was Amelia battling with demons as well? Matt had no idea.

Meanwhile, Amelia was trying to multitask on ice-skates.

~*~*~*~*~*~Riley Sports Center: Home of the Henrysville Jaguars*~*~*~*~*~*

The Henrysville Jaguars had begun their morning with half an hour of stretches, then quickly got to work. They did drills as a team for an hour followed by an hour in the weight room building muscle. Then back onto the ice the players went, into specialized drills. Maye, team captain, front center and only female on the team, spent time on agility and balance drills. Now that practice was coming to a close, the players cooled down by leisurely skating around the rink. Amelia and he boyfriend Tonio skated together hand in hand.

"Good practice today, huh Amelia," Tonio asked.

"Yeah, suppose so," Amelia answered, too busy thinking about Matt.

"Baby, what's wrong?" The two skated off the ice to sit on the bench where Amelia told Tonio what had happened to Matt.

"That's awful! Amelia, you know if there is anything you need all you have to do is say the word."

"Thank you, Tonio. I am so lucky to have you."

They kissed each other gently on the lips. Soon after, their moment was ended by Coach Harding.

"Night!"

"Yes, Coach?" Amelia answered.

"Go into that locker room and stop that blasted laptop of yours from beeping!"

"Yes, sir!" "Oh! Did you hear that, Tonio? My laptop is beeping!" Amelia grabs he beau's hand and tugs him to follow her.

"Umm yay? Why does this make you so happy?"

"Because, my search for information on that curse has turned up something!"

"Wonderful! Let's go!"

Tonio and Amelia went into the locker room to check the search results. Before they did, however, they decided to change back into their normal clothes. Amelia went into a specially partitioned room within the locker room. This was a private place where she, the only female on the team, could change and shower in complete privacy. Amelia thought it was odd that it was possible that one could sweat so much while being on the cold ice as she quickly showered clean. Once clean she redressed in her standard blue jeans, high tops, and t-shirt with a blue bracelet with an infinity symbol on her left forearm, she re-entered the arena with Tonio, who was dressed in his usual green sweater and khakis.

The two sat their heavy duffle bags on the row of seats below them then they sat down with Amelia's laptop to see what the search results gave were not at all what Amelia was hoping for. Yes, there was more information on the potion, but what the information stated disturbed Amelia greatly.

"Well, what does it say?" Tonio wanted to know.

"No, this can't be! It's so horrid!" Amelia said, appalled at what she was reading.

"What, baby? What is…," Tonio saw how distressed Amelia had become. He quickly fell silent as she began to read the article that her laptop had pulled up. After translating the entire article in her mind (it was in Celtinian), Amelia read it out loud.

'The potion of 'Nightmare of Demons' is of Celtinian origin. First created in the ancient days by powerful sorcerers to eliminate their enemies without too much involvement, the potion is said to be most powerful under the power of a full moon. Under the power of a total moon at its highest point the potion is said to work in two ways, or so legend speaks. The first way is to conjure up images so vile, to the point where the victim would, trying to escape the living nightmare, attempt to find relief by suicide. The second way, if by an iron will the first did not succeed, will only work under a full moon at midnight. At midnight of a total moon the potion shall make its victim an eternal demonized slave of the maker of the potion. Once the demonization has occurred, the possessed soul will be eternally trapped to do the bidding of its new master. A bitter death is the only way to release the soul, only then to become a restless spirit. If in its early stages, the curse can be reversed by a reversal antidote. For the wellbeing of any poor soul who should encounter this curse, I have listed an antidote below.'

"We have to make this antidote and get it to Matthew soon!" Amelia exclaimed.

"Well," Tonio began as he took out his scientific laptop. "What ingredients we don't have we can acquire easily and quickly."

"Great," Amelia said. "When is the next full moon in Castleblanca?"

"That, my love, is what I hate to tell you. The next full moon in Castleblanca *fidgets with his laptop* is tonight."

"NO! Then we must hurry. Practice is over so let's go get this antidote together. You will help me, won't you?"

"Of course, there is nothing that I would rather do."

Together Tonio and Amelia left the arena, and then got in their separate cars with a list of ingredients in their hand. Amelia got into her red 1985 Chevy S-10 with a white top over the bed and drove back to Matt's house to start preparing the antidote that would save his life. Tonio got into his shiny, black Mercedes S55 AMG and sped off in search of the ingredients that Amelia so desperately needed. As Amelia drove into the driveway of her aunt and uncle's home and put her beloved truck into park, she noticed a new text message on her cell phone. It was from Matt. The message nearly sent her into a frenzy because it said 'Goin' 4 run in woods. If I don't c u b4 u get bk I am goin' to Jackie's to meet w/ her & Inez. We r going bk 2 Castleblanca 2nite to investigate. –Matt'

"Oh, no, this is bad news!" Amelia quickly thought about calling Matt, but she knew that it would do her no good. When in the woods, her pack members did not carry their phones. Simply put, when her pack members went into the woods for a run, they didn't have thumbs to call or txt with.

Amelia had a long road of work ahead of her as she started to get everything together. She prayed to God that she would get the antidote done in time to save he little cousin.

**A/N: Oh no! The race is on to save Matty! Will Matt meet up with Amelia to recieve treatment or will Amelia have to track him down? Can Amelia, Matt, and Tonio's double nature save them? Stay tuned to find oud!**


	6. VI

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long guys! Here is the next chapter! It's pretty interesting if you ask me! :) There's a bit of random drabble and bit a fluff. Again I don't own Cyberchase but the OCs are MINE so no Touchy! Please read and Review! Enjoy! ~3 Kawaii Stella **

**P.S. The Edgar Allan Poe stuff is coming soon!**

You Can't Escape

By Kawaii Stella

VI

It was half past noon and Amelia a small has much to do. She had started a small fire near the back of the farm near the woods. A fire strong enough to heat the small cauldron Amelia was using to create the antidote. As soon as she had her cauldron set up, Amelia received a text message from Tonio, saying that he couldn't find all of the needed ingredients in his universe. They needed a search party to span multiple dimensions to locate the missing ingredients quickly. Amelia only had one option left. She needed to call in her pack.

As Alpha wolf, Amelia was the first to transform into the majestic form of a wolf. It was extremely hard when Maye first changed because she was totally alone and hand no idea what was happening to her. Soon after her transformation she had a vision of one of her close friends going through the change. After the vision Amelia felt a large responsibility for her friend and realized she would lead her pack of majestic wolves. From that day she had lead and cared for her ever-growing pack of majestic wolves. Currently there were eleven members of the Valley Pack, Maye's pack. Matt had been the next to last change so far. When Matt changed he accepted his born role of Beta, or second in command, to challenge from the other members. The day Matt accepted his role Tonio stepped down graciously from being the temporary second in command so Matt could take his rightful place. Maye couldn't have been prouder of her pack. Ever since then they had trained together to become as strong as they could be. Now, as Maye transformed into a huge, majestic wolf with sand colored tawny fur she began to use her spiritual connection with her pack to bring them to her.

Within minutes the entire Valley Pack, with the exceptions of Tonio and Matt, were present and accounted for. Questions quickly arose as to why they had been gathered.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice," Amelia said, still in her wolf form. (You see, that was one of the two really unique things that her pack could do: 1) Talk like humans in their wolf forms and 2) they didn't explode out of their clothes when they shifted like others of their kind did.)

Amelia quickly informed the other and shocked them with the horrific details of Matt's ordeal which lead them to a new round of questions. Amelia could read her wolves' minds if she wished but usually refrained from it so to give the others some privacy. Still, even while refraining from peeking into the others' heads, she could feel the questions on the tips of their tongues. Finally Itachi asked, "Why aren't Tonio and Matt here, Chief?"

"Tonio is still looking for some ingredients, the rest of which I have asked you all to find once you are dismissed. As for Matt, I don't know. I believe that he is in his wolf form, but I can't hear him."

"Maybe you should try again Chief," her friend Syrus suggested.

"Alright, I will try one more time, and then I want you to get those ingredients so I can finish this potion and get it to Beta before midnight!"

So, Amelia lay down on her belly and closed he eyes to concentrate. Within moments she found him but she could see he was struggling with something. Amelia then peered into Matt's mind and was horrified by what she saw. This horrendous demon was trying to take over Matt's free will. The thing was disgusting with its bloody red eyes and looked like a rotting corpse searching for a new host. Matt won this battle but it left him weak, forcing him into his human form and forcing Amelia out of his mind. The horror of it all made Amelia leap onto all fours and screamed, fainting on to the ground. Quickly the others switched back into their human forms to assist Amelia, who herself had shifted back into her human form. Not soon enough to prevent the share mind of the pack from seeing what was happening to Matt. As soon as they had Amelia back on her feet she said,

"I'm okay, guys. You all saw what was going on. Hurry and get those ingredients! You have your assignments, now go!"

The others ran off and five minutes later Tonio showed up with his share of ingredients which were added to the cauldron as the recipe instructed. After they added the ingredients Amelia told Tonio what she saw.

"This is very bad indeed! If only there was some was to hold off that demon for a little while longer," Tonio added, worried.

"The only thing I knew to do, I did!"

"And what was that, my darling? What did you do?"

"I made him that amulet to keep that demon's power as weak as could be. I used the same jewels as in mine," Amelia said as she fingered the round amulet at her collar. "But I am afraid that it is not working properly."

"I think it is working fine, love. Remember the legend? It said that the young always fell first. Matthew is twelve years old. If your amulet wasn't protecting him, he would've fallen by now. Baby, you and your amulet ARE protecting Matt."

"Really? Thanks, Tonio." Amelia said as she mustered a small smile.

To stop pacing, Amelia sat down on the ground. Tonio sat down next to her and put his arms around her and held her close, trying to comfort her. Amelia allowed herself to be held until her cell phone started playing "She Wolf" by Shakira. Amelia looked at her phone. It was a text message from Bastion, one of her pack members. He had found his share of the ingredients and was on his way home. At the thought of the potion Amelia stirred the ingredients already in the cauldron.

Soon after, more and more of her wolves reported in and brought the ingredients to Amelia until two were left still searching. The cell phone rang again, and Amelia hoped it was the last two reporting in, but no, it was Amelia's best friend Elena McVoy.

"Hello? Elena? I really don't have the time to talk right now," Amelia answered.

"Amelia! You have got to hear about this! I was at the market with my mother today and I passed some girls from our class at school and they were taking about how they all had dates. That made me think about how I don't have a date let alone a boyfriend. Then I thought about how happy you and Tonio are and I don't think I'll ever find any romance ever," Elena finished, very out of breath.

"Elena, I have a strong feeling I know who you saw and I say to heck with them! I know you will find your knight in shining armor. A few days ago I had a vision of you meeting a guy. I really gotta go 'cus there's big chizz going down. Are you still coming trick-or-treating tomorrow night then to the masquerade?"

"Oh! You'll have to give me all the details later and yeah I'm still in. Sounds like there is very big chizz going down, so I'll talk to you later! Bye!"

"Bye!" Amelia hung up. "Holy cow," she mumbles to herself while running a hand through her hair.

During that chaotic conversation, the last two had shown up and added in their ingredients. Now as Amelia mixed them together and let them simmer for ten minutes. During that time period Maye and Tonio went in to the house to change into their mission gear and went back outside for Amelia to perform the incantation over the potion.

"Under the hallow moon I call for the blessing of the spirits. For I call onto you for the rescue of a young soul who has befallen a curse from the legends of yore. I add to this concoction chips of turquoise for the protection of poor Matthew's soul. I beg unto you, dear spirits, please bless this potion so it may do good!" As she exclaimed these last words, Amelia threw the turquoise chips into the cauldron. Then a web of magic formed into an intricate pattern until the blessing was written in the ancient language, above the antidote.

Once written, the blessing glowed brightly, then dimmed into the antidote as the words sank. The antidote was completer at last. By now it was seven thirty and the sun had set a while ago. Now only four and a half hours remained until Matt would be lost forever.

"Hurry! Hand me that vial! There is no time to waste!" Amelia exclaimed, quickly to be handed the new vial.

Amelia filled the vial then corked it and placed it in her backpack. It was time for Amelia and Tonio to leave but before they could, thanks had to be given to God and the Sprits. For a few moments, the entire pack shifted into their wolf forms and let out a grateful howl to Heaven. Once they were back to being human, the plan was laid out.

"Alright guys, here is the game plan. I want squadron A to come with me and Tonio. So Itachi and Bastion, you're with us. Syrus, Aster, Sauske, Ty, and Moegi, you all stay on patrol. Got it?"

"Sir!"

"Good! Move out!"

With the five on squadron B off on patrol, Amelia told Bastion and Itachi just what they'd be doing as she handed them their communication earpieces, (Here forth referred to as Comms.) that looked like a Bluetooth. Tonio brought up a holographic map of the cybersite Castleblanca. The map was covered by a grid dividing the grid into sectors. Amelia told Bastion and Itachi where she wanted them to patrol.

"Alright you two," Amelia said to Bastion and Itachi. "I need you two to patrol the outer perimeter of Castleblanca. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything suspicious. Clear?"

"Yes, Chief!"

"Then here is your portal, move out!" and without hesitation Itachi and Bastion went.

"Alright baby," Tonio said. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, let's do this. Let's save little Beta."

So Amelia and Tonio jumped into the portal which dropped them into Castleblanca. They landed in a wooded thicket, hidden by the trees and the night. As they got to their feet, Amelia and Tonio heard the clock tower, the one where the hack-o-lantern called out the time while bouncing on a giant tongue, announcing that "It's eight o'clock! Four more hours until midnight!" As the deadline of four hours loomed above their heads, Amelia and Tonio knew they were in for the challenge of their lives as they looked at one another.

**Dun Dun DUN! Hahaha that's what my bestie Elena McVoy does every time I leave off on a cliffhanger like that. haha. What did ya think? Leave a review and stay tuned for more!**


	7. VII

**A/N: Hey! I am super sorry for not updating in forever! THat's why this chapter is super long! So you can get to reading, I don't own Cyberchase so there. Please read, review, and enjoy! ~Kawaii Stella**

You Can't Escape

BY: Kawaii Stella

VII

*Rustle**Thunk!*

"Oww! I thought landing in the brush would be better than falling on the bare ground. I was wrong; Very wrong!" Amelia said. "You alright, Tonio?"

"Ouch. Yes, I'm fine, sweetheart. Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Good. What so we do now, babe?"

"Get that map of Castleblanca up. We need to decide where to go first. I'm going to check and make sure the communication lines are working."

"Yes, Chief." Tonio said.

Amelia made sure the communication wires were hooked up right in her unit, and then called out over the comm: "Alpha wolf reporting in. I want feedback from Squadron A now. Do you read me?" After a few moments of static, she got her report.

"We hear you loud and clear, Chief," Itachi reported back.

"Anything suspicious to report to us?" Maye asked.

"Nothing really bizarre, except for two weird robots going into some shop on the edge of the Site," Bastion reported.

"What kind of shop?"

"One that sells different herbs I think," Bastion said. "They came out with a small basket full of what looked like Eurobread Roots. I heard one of them mutter something about two keys."

"They had Eurobread roots? Not good. Especially if those keys are from where I think they're from. Those roots haven't been used in spells for centuries and back then they were only used for very strong dark magic."

"Like, dark as what's happening to Beta?" Itachi asked.

"Yes, only much, much worse. Keep a look out for those two again. Also keep a look out for Matt and his friends. If you see him do not engage. Report your sightings back to me. Understood?"

"Sir!"

"Good. Alpha out." Maye said and ended her transmission. Then she sighed.

"It'll be okay," Tonio said, trying to soothe his girlfriend. "We will save him. Here's the map of Castleblanca you wanted." He held up the holographic map which displayed a lot of detailed. "I think we need to do some undercover work first. Hit the streets and listen for any clues."

"I think you're right. We need to figure out where the kids would be going first. Let's get moving!"

The first thing they did was look to the street beyond the thicket, immediately they saw that if they went out there in their current attire, they'd stick out like a sore thumb.

"I think ifs time for a wardrobe change," Maye said.

"OH yeah," Tonio agreed.

They changed clothes and in their new attire, looked quite normal, at least to the Castleblanca crowd. Maye wore blue high tops, dark skinny jeans with a black long sleeve top under a red plaid flannel shirt worn as a jacket. She also had on large glasses that made her look a bit nerdy. Tonio wore his normal khakis and brown shoes with a green t-shirt under a black vest. He also wore his normal black glasses as well. They both still wore their Comm units in their ears so they could communicate with squadron A.

"We look good," Maye mused.

"Indeed we do, but you always look amazing. But with those glasses you almost remind me of Professor Trewlawney!"

"Oh, Lord." She said then chuckled. "I wonder where Matt is right now."

"We'll find him. You said that those Eurobread Roots were used for ancient dark spells and Matt's been afflicted by an ancient dark curse, one that was conjured here in Castleblanca. I think if we find where those roots went, I think we'll get our lead to Matt."

"I have a feeling that your plan just might work. Besides, it's the only one we've got. Let's hit the streets and start looking. I think our best bet is to start out at the herb shop and go from there," Maye said.

Tonio and Amelia left for the herb shop trying to find Matt. Little did they realize that he was closer than they'd thought. Matt, Jackie, and Inez were all gathered at the Eerie Inn, planning their trip back to Hacker's Castle.

~Eerie Inn~

Matt and Jackie sat at a table in the lobby of the Eerie Inn while Inez paced in front of them. They looked stumped.

"Guys, we need to know just why Hacker had those old spell books," Jackie mentioned. "Do you think that he's helping Wicked with something?"

"I don't think so," Inez said. "Compared to Wicked's nature that we've seen before, I think the décor in the castle would've been a bit frillier than Digit described the place."

"Now that you say that I think you're right, Inez." Jackie said. "We know now, thanks to you Matt, that Hacker was talking about amulets and potions."

"He also said something about spheres and the Keys of Spiritalia and Celtinia. We need to know what those things are! I feel that if we don't figure out what they are for soon, something really bad is going to happen," Matt said, thinking about the curse that was taking over his body. Over the past few minutes Matt had begun to feel like something was trying to take over his body; like an alien species trying to enter a new host body. He knew deep down that that feeling was due to the curse that the odd potion had caused. 'Where is Maye?' Matt wondered. 'This curse scares me, what if it takes over my body? No, I can't think like that! Maye hasn't failed me yet!'

"Let's go back to the castle, sneak in, and figure out what Hacker's true plan is. Since Digit had to stay at Control Central to watch after Motherboard, we're on our own here. We don't have an eye in the sky this time," Jackie said.

"Let's do this!" Matt and Inez agreed and they ran from the inn straight for Hacker's castle.

Since they Cybersquad had already been to Hacker's castle twice before, it didn't take too long for them to get there. Much like the time they had to rescue Dr. Marbles, they entered the property through its backwoods, ironically ending up in the same exact bushes they had on that past adventure. There, once again they saw the Grim Wreaker parked but Buzz and Delete did not exit the ship. Instead they came from the woods behind it; Delete was carrying a basket of roots. Buzz told Delete that their boss would be quite happy when they brought those ingredients to him. Then they all heard a noise from the wooded area that the henchmen had just exited Buzz and Delete walked back to the edge of the wood; the Cybersquad dared not move.

"Dee Dee," Buzz started. "You go take those root things to the boss, I'm gonna go check out that sound."

"You sure about that, Buzzy?"

"Yeah, now go before da boss gets his wig in a twist."

Delete went to the castle while Buzz went back into the woods. The kids decided to pay little attention to Buzz and followed Delete. They heard a bell toll in the distance as they climbed the spiral staircase into the turret which lead to the entrance of the castle. After a few moments Delete went to the other side of the castle, on the other side of the courtyard. That was the Cybersquad's chance to make their move. They emerged from their hiding place in the shadows and ran to the lair inside the turret where Hacker had that long table set up. The kids immediately went for the leather-bound books and tried to comprehend their contents.

"Here! I found something," Inez exclaimed as the other two waited for her to continue. " I found something about the Keys of Celtinia and Spiritalia.. It says here, 'The Keys of Celtinia and Spiritalia are powerful items of magic retaining to the Spirit Realm. For generations they have been protected by Guardians so the Keys do not fall into the wrong hands. If the fall into the wrong hands, the hands of darkness and evil, dark magic shall flourish again if the circumstances are without flaw.' That's all that's written here."

"So that's what Hacker is after," Matt said. He's after all the power that dark magic holds. That doesn't surprise me at all. Hacker's always been a power hungry freak."

"The book doesn't say what the circumstances have to be?" Jackie asked.

"Unfortunately not," Inez said. The two girls continued talking while Matt walked over to the table to examine the candles on top of it. In addition to the candles there was now a ornately decorated pure silver bowl; the bowl was so reflective it could qualify as a mirror.

As Matt looked at the candles, he noticed that they were intricately carved with ancient symbols. Much like the white one that Amelia had placed in his room last night. The thought of Amelia made Matt desperately hope that she was close to finding him. Especially when he saw his reflection in the silver bowl; Matt's youthful face had become gaunt and hollow. His time was running out fast.

~The Woods Outside the Castle Grounds~

~Fifteen Minutes Ago~

As the Cybersquad watched Buzz and Delete emerge from the woods, two other sets of eyes were watching the henchmen as well. Tonio and Amelia, after finding out what direction the two robots went from the clerk at the herb shop, had gone into their wolf forms to easier follow the trails of Buzz and Delete. They couple watched the robots emerge from the woods and hatched their plan. They split up, still in their wolf forms. Maye with, her luscious, tawny, tan with some grey, fur ran to another section of the castles perimeter so that she could return to her human form to sneak in and find the source of Matt's curse. Hopefully she would find him as well. Tonio, in his majestic wolf form with grey, black, and white fur, stayed close to where Buzz and Delete has exited. Tonio made a rustling noise in the brush to attract one of the robots. It worked as the short one came back. Buzz looked at Tonio and said, "Gee, what's a pretty dawg like you doin' out here?"

To Buzz's amazement, Tonio, "the dog", spoke and said, quite cordially, "Please follow me, sir."

Buzz, flabbergasted, followed without hesitation. How could he not listen to the majestic "doggy"? Buzz followed Tonio about 30 feet into the forest. There, Tonio sat and stared at Buzz with piercing amber eyes. Buzz, beginning to wonder why he had followed the wolf here into this dark, moonlit part of the forest, asked, "Uh, why did you have me follow you here and how can you talk? You're a dog, aren't ya?"

"Firstly," Tonio said. "I am not a dog; I am a wolf. The reason I asked you to follow me is because I need your help. You see, my people are in dire danger. They are being hunted by a sinister dark force and I, one of the last warriors of my people have sent me here to stop the force that is killing us off. From what I have gathered, that dark force is coming from this area, the castle up ahead to be exact. I was hoping you could tell me some things about that castle and its contents."

"That's horrible!" Buzz exclaimed. "Of course I'll help ya! I'll tell ya anything ya wanna know!"

Inside Tonio smiled. This was easier than he thought. He began to ask the robot simple questions, as Tonio figured that this little robot only could handle the simple ones.

"So," Tonio began. "Please tell me who is currently in that castle and what he is doing here." And Buzz told Tonio some very interesting information in his, what sounded like, Jersey accent. While Tonio was listening to Buzz spiel off these tidbits, Amelia was ready to ascend the castle wall.

"Alright, game time." Amelia said to herself. She had returned to her human form and was back in her mission gear.

Moments ago she had hear the clock tower bells toll. Even though she could not hear the jack o' lantern call out the time, she knew that yet another hour had passed. Now only three hours remained before it was game over but she couldn't think about now, there was work to be done. She needed to focus at the task at hand. The thought for a moment about how she would climb the wall; she was capable of using a special technique where she could quite literally just walk right up the wall or she could grapple her way up the wall. Amelia chose to do the latter because she could feel a large force at work here and was afraid the energy that she would exert using the special technique would key the force to her whereabouts. So she pulled a grappling hook from her pack and with magnificent precision, sent the hook up over the wall. It snagged, securely in place so that Maye could climb it without problem.

A few minutes she had ascended the wall and was inside the castle courtyard. The courtyard was a metaphoric ghost town. There was not a soul in sight. Or so she thought. In the windy night she heard a slight sound similar to that of a flag whipping in the wind. Only this was not a flag in the wind. It was the cape of the person sneaking up behind her. Against her best instinct, she was frozen in place in fear even though every cell in her body screamed, "RUN!".

A sinister chuckle came from behind her. "Ah, what perfect timing; I was looking for someone just like you." The creep ran a finger across her cheek. "A young, pure female with a strong mystical core that houses one of the most important ingredients that I need in order to obtain the power I so rightly deserve."

Amelia knew this was her only chance to strike back. "I have no idea who you are and I could care less," She said defiantly. "You have no right to use me for your sick cause. Either you release me now or suffer the consequences."

"I don't think so," the man said and injected Amelia with a weak tranquilizer. He loosened his grip on Amelia and she tried to run. She ran a few feet, but the tranquilizer was quickly weakening her body thus making her fall to the ground, making the potion she had painstakingly made fall out of her pocket into the grass. Amelia was becoming more tired by the moment. Using the last of her energy she rolled onto her back and saw who she instantly knew as The Hacker. She saw an evil smile spread across his face. Before everything went black for Amelia, she sent one last frantic thought to her beloved. Using her telepathy, she said to Tonio, "Tonio, vial is in the courtyard grass. Get it quickly. Save Matt before coming after me."

Tonio had just finished interrogating Buzz when he retrieved that message. Buzz had left back for the castle minutes ago. Hearing the weakness and fear in that message immediately keyed him off to that something was about to go horribly wrong. He took off at full speed for the castle, not bothering to be the least bit discreet. He had to get there fast and he had to find that vial. As he ran to the castle he thought about what Buzz had told him.

Buzz had told Tonio that he had come here with his boss in order for his boss to harness the powers of the Keys to harness the powers of the Spheres of Fears in order to raise a powerful dark army to take over Cyberspace. Buzz had been sent with Delete to get the Eurobread Roots because the Roots were necessary ingredients to take control of the Keys. When they got back to the castle they were to look for a vial with a potion with a really weird name. Buzz and Delete were supposed to find this potion before their boss got back with the final ingredient. However, Buzz didn't say what that ingredient was.

Now Tonio came upon the castle courtyard and began to look for the antidote. While Tonio searched the Cybersquad made their way down a hallway looking through the castle. When Inez turned around to ask Matt in question, she gasped in horror as she saw Matt's gaunt face. Meanwhile, Delete and Buzz were in the room the kids had just been in, collecting the things on the table, then taking them to a different room in another section of the castle. No one except Hacker knew where Amelia was. Both the Tonio and the Cybersquad had a feeling deep down that things may get worse before they get better. They were right.


	8. VIII

**A/N: Don't own Cyberchase. I would give a little preface here but why spoil the fun? Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

You Can't Escape

VIII

"M-M- Matt! What's happening to you? You look so gaunt!" Inez nearly screamed.

From the time the Cybersquad had left the lair where Matt first saw his gaunt reflection in the silver bowl his cheeks had sunk in deeper and his eyes were beginning to darken and glaze. When Jackie saw the source of Inez's horror she squeaked as well.

"Oh Matt!" Jackie exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

"It's okay! We need to stop Hacker first then I'll deal with this," Matt said calmly, fingering his amulet. "I'll explain things later." Despite the coolness of his tone he was terrified of what he faced. He wasn't the only one racing against time. In the courtyard Tonio frantically searched for the potion Amelia had made.

~Castle Courtyard~

Tonio ran into the courtyard in his human form. He'd known Amelia since they were little children, so when he heard the weakness and fear in her voice, he immediately knew something had gone horribly wrong. Thanks to being a Wolf and other factors, Tonio had a very acute sense of smell. That meant it only took approximately five minutes to pick up Amelia's scent which was all over the vial. He found it near the center of the courtyard, nearly covered by the grass. For a moment Tonio stood there and looked at the slight glow of the blue potion.

"Amelia worked so hard on this potion so she could save Matthew." Tonio said to himself. "I can't let her down! I must get this potion to Matt and then rescue Amelia! Oh Amelia, where are you?" Tonio asked aloud. Then he looked at all of the passageways leading out of the courtyard. Now he needed to find out which one to follow. He closed his eyes and focused on the smells around him. Two familiar scents greeted him. One was sweet, spicy, homely, and enticing. Tonio immediately knew that to be Amelia's scent. The other was a youthful smell, mixed with the sweet smell of hay and fresh air. That was Matt's scent.

Tonio knew that he had to follow Matt's scent but the scent went two ways. One went left into the turret lair and the other went right to the east section of the castle. Tonio decided to go right; that scent was stronger, newer. As he ran to the east section, Tonio debated whether to call for backup. While he debated, Amelia was in the hands of evil.

*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O* East Side of the Castle *O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*

While the children roamed the hallways Hacker carried a limp, unconscious Amelia into his nearly prepared summoning room. He was met there by the Wicked Witch who had come here upon Hacker's request.

"Hackie dear, who is _this_?" Asked Wicked upon seeing the lovely teenager in Hacker's arms.

"This my dear is nothing but an ingredient for my plan. I need you to take her and dress her in the proper attire for tonight. Do it quickly, for it is almost time for the summoning!"

"Yes, dear; I just want to be certain, I get a slice of the pie when this is said and done, correct?"

"Of course, Wicked. Now go change her then bring her back here."

"Excellent, I'll be back in a wave of a wand!"

Wicked took Amelia into a bedchamber and unclothed the teenager to her underclothes. Wicked dressed her in a low cut, v- neck, pure white dress with sheer white sleeves that came an inch above her elbows. The dress came right above her ankles but came to the floor behind her. A scarlet sash was tied around her skinny waist. The sash had an intricate silver crescent moon embroidered on it. On Amelia's left foot Wicked placed a gold ankle bracelet composed of a fine golden chain with a single ancient charm. A golden cuff was placed on each wrist, intricately designed with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and onyx stones among others. The cuffs were designed to ancient specifications, designed to entice something…. Wicked then removed Amelia's amulet and gazed upon it, realizing almost instantly that it had been made with similar magic that Hacker was now messing with. The witch put the amulet in her robe pocket she would show it to Hacker in a little bit. Next, the girl's face was done up in fine make-up making her lovely face even more lovely. After that, Amelia's hair was taken down from its bun; her golden locks framing her face. Now she was ready. Wicked took her back into the summoning room where a large, elaborate summoning circle had been put into the stone floor. Amelia was placed at the center and fettered to the floor by a chain around her right ankle. Now she couldn't escape.

As soon as Wicked had tied her down, she walked to Hacker who was musing over the items atop of the mahogany table in front of him. The table was smaller than the one in the turret lair. On it were the silver bowl, the carved candles, an opened leather-bound book, and an ornately decorated silver knife with a very sharp blade. He turned to Wicked and looked to the center of the summoning circle where Amelia was beginning to stir.

"Good, I see she is in proper attire and tethered down. I have almost everything together now, we just need Buzz and Delete to return with the last two ingredients."

"Excellent, Hackie-poo," Wicked said. "While we wait I have something to show you." Wicked pulled out the amulet and showed it to Hacker. "It is made with the same techniques that we are working with. If the girl made it herself, she is wise in the old ways."

"She indeed must be wise if she can host such a powerful energy," Hacker mused. "She may be a good tool if she survives this. Or, since this is to ward off a specific demon, if she survives what this is supposed to ward off." He chuckled darkly.

Buzz and Delete then walked into the room with the basket of Eurobread Roots. They sat them on the table where Wicked then shredded them and scattered them around the circle. The circle began to gain an eerie glow as the mystical forces began to awaken.

"Where is the cursed potion I told you to find?" Hacker asked Buzz and Delete.

"We couldn't find it," Delete said. "We looked everywhere!"

Before Hacker could respond, the Cybersquad burst into the room. Inez and Jackie immediately confronted The Hacker, but Matt stopped short as soon as he saw Amelia tethered to the floor.

"Stop this right now!" Inez demanded. "Do not mess with the power of the Keys!"

"Why should I?" Hacker said. "The last thing I need just walked in."

Matt who was paying absolutely no attention to Hacker yelled, "Amelia?"

Hearing Matt's voice was enough to bring Amelia from her daze. She shook her head to clear her mind and saw Matt, who had become unbelievably thin. She began to panic and yelled to Matt, "Beta! Get out of here and find Tonio! He has the antidote! Go now!"

Matt began to run, but Wicked had used her magic to stop him in his tracks.

"Oh no you don't!" Hacker told Matt. "The last ingredient I needed was a person cursed with the 'Nightmare Of Demons' and you have generously provided yourself!" Hacker laughed.

Amelia screamed "no" as the robot henchmen grabbed Jackie and Inez. Luckily, Tonio, who had been roaming the castle heard her and knew the answer to his previous quandary. He called the entire pack to Castleblanca. They had to take this Hacker guy down.

Now that every ingredient was together, the summoning circle glowed bright. Wicked used her magic to force Matt to kneel on his knees. Once that was done, Hacker took the silver bowl and knife and stepped through the circle and up to Amelia. He crouched to her level and grabbed her arm. With the ornate silver knife he drew a line in her fore arm causing a stream of pure, fresh red blood to drain into the ornate silver bowl. Amelia gritted her teeth in pain.

"Here is the blood of a pure and powerful young woman!" Hacker yelled into the night air. "The circumstances are right; the cursed one is here! Grant me the Keys of Spiritalia and Celtinia!"

Then a powerful force came into the room. Two golden keys enveloped in a white light appeared in front of Hacker. He had gained the Keys of Spiritalia and Celtinia. The forced died away but the room was now filled with ancient power. As Hacker joyfully laughed, the clock in town rang; it was eleven o' clock. However, no one heard the time.


	9. IX

**A/N: HI!** **OMG I have missed you all! It's been forever since I've updated this and I'm sorry for that! Th****at**'**s why I'm posting this chapter right here! This is some pretty epic stuff in my opinion. I'm trying to get concept art done! I have been really busy with school and photography and Senior stuff. I can't wait to wrap up this story so I can post INSANITY! :) ~Kawaii**

**Ok, So read and enjoy! Please leave a review! I cherish good reviews. I really hope this was worth the wait for you guys!**

**Don't own Cyberchase, wish I did! **

You Can't Escape

IX

Tonio had called Squadron B first since they would take the longest to get to Castleblanca. He simply told them to drop everything and come to the cybersite because their Alpha and Beta were in grave danger. They did not hesitate. Within ten minutes every member of Squadron B had arrived. Five minutes later so had the two in Squadron A. They gathered in the courtyard where Tonio briefed them quickly.

"See that glowing light from the east side of the castle? There's some bad mojo going on in there and that's where Beta and the Chief are. We don't have much time. You all focus on taking the villains down. I have to get this antidote in Matt. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"Let's go."

They all ran to the east side of the castle in hopes of saving their friends.

"No! You mustn't mess with those powers!" Inez yelled.

"What do you think you're going to do with those?" Jackie added.

"Simple you brats, I am going to use these Keys to harness the powers of the Spheres of Fears. As long as I have these Keys and she keeps bleeding and he's still cursed, no one can stop me." Hacker then noticed that Amelia's cuffs had begun to glow with mystic energy. "Yes! It is time! The levels of power are perfect; it is time to take the powers of the Spheres of Fears to take over Cyberspace!"

"We don't think so!" came voices from the open windows in the room. In the windows stood a pack of boys and girls who began to repel down the walls.

"I don't know who you all are nor do I care! But you're too late!" The circle began to pull in terrible dark forces that made Amelia scream in agonizing pain.

Three of her pack members tried to get to her but the force of the circle repelled them back. The rest went after Hacker and his goons. Tonio saw Matt kneeling on the floor and ran to him.

"Matt," Tonio told him. "Drink this. Hurry; we don't have much time." He uncorked the bottle and put it to Matt's lips and Matt drank every drop.

The antidote worked. Matt regained his strength and his face returned to normal. The demon was forever purged from his body. The power of the circle began to fade but was not gone completely. Hacker wasn't done quite yet.

As soon as Matt was healed Amelia cheered from the center of the summoning circle. The other pack members were so busy checking on Matt, Jackie, and Inez and also capturing Wicked that they did not notice Hacker walking up to Amelia.

"What are you cheering for you virgin sacrifice? You are still weak for I have this," Hacker said as he held her amulet in his hand. Amelia could only stare at him with wide, fearful blue eyes.

Then a sinister, glowing white light of an entity materialized in the room. Amelia screamed in terror and tried to run from it but couldn't. She was still tethered to the floor.

At the sound of her scream, Tonio whipped his head in Amelia's direction and saw what she faced. He took a vial from his bag and ran towards Amelia. Quickly he wrapped his arm around her and projected his aura around her to protect her but it failed. The thing was going to get both of them. They had to run. He handed the vial to Amelia and she tried to uncork it while Tonio tried to free her of her restraint. Finally he got her free and she got the vial uncorked and threw its contents on the light demon. It vanished to another place leaving them safe for the time being.

The fight was over. Good had triumphed once again. And just in time. Moments later the clock struck midnight.

Everyone went into the courtyard. Hacker had been caught and restrained along with Buzz and Delete. Only the Wicked Witch had escaped. The cyber-authorities had taken Hacker away moments ago. Out in the cool night air Amelia and Matt hugged fiercely. Then she passionately kissed Tonio for several moments.

"Thank God that's over." Matt said.

"Just what happened to you, Matt?" Inez asked.

"When I heard Hacker talking when we first investigated a vial fell from the window. Even though it didn't break, some of its contents got on me. The vial contained a cursed potion; one that would eventually possess me forever. Pretty much like a living zombie slave." Matt came clean.

"But why wouldn't you tell us," Jackie wanted to know.

"I honestly don't know why, Jacks. I guess I just had a feeling that if I told you, you guys would be in danger as well." Matt admitted.

"If I may," Amelia began. "Matt's instinct was absolutely correct. If you guys knew about it and handled the vial, most likely you would've been possessed as well."

"Gee, I had no idea." Inez said.

"Got your clothes, boss," Moegi said as she walked up to the group. "What are you going to do about all that magic going on in that room?"

"Since I'm a Guardian I'll take care of it. That's part of my job." Amelia answered.

"Wait," Inez said. "A Guardian like one who guards the Keys and such?"  
"Yep," Amelia said. "I'm gonna take care of that stuff. I want a few of you to confiscate the stuff." She addressed her pack then went back into the summoning room.

Fifteen minutes later she had finished and all of the magical possessions were confiscated. The Keys had been returned to the Spirit Realm and the rest of the things were left for Amelia to keep until she presented them to the council tomorrow. Once she was done she walked back to the group where the kids were talking with Tonio. She went to stand next to Tonio but became very dizzy. Her arm was still bleeding badly. Tonio took out a first aid kit and wrapped her arm in gauze and bandages until he could get Amelia home.

"I think it's far time we all went home," Tonio said.

"Agreed," Amelia said. "You ladies are still coming trick or treating tomorrow, or well, actually, tonight?" She asked Jackie and Inez with a smile.

"Of course!" They told her.

"Awesome. Let's all get home. It's late and I'm sure you guys aren't going to want to sleep tomorrow night."

They stepped through a portal and went to their homes. The Valley Pack landed back where the cauldron had been. Amelia thanked them heartily for their service tonight. Then they all, except for Tonio, went home to get a good night's sleep. Amelia told Matt to go get ready for bed and he obeyed. She was left with Tonio so he could fix her arm.

"Thank you for being such a big help to me." Amelia said to Tonio. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I love you, Tonio."

"I love you too, Amelia."

"You don't have to suture my arm, do you? I hate needles." She pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

"No, there's another way I can seal your arm up." Tonio said and gave Amelia a slick grin.

She smiled back she held out her fore arm. Under the full moon, he put his mouth to the wound and trailed his tongue down the long, bloody cut. From where his tongue passed the cut sealed shut. Once the cut was completely healed, he moaned and said, "Your blood is so beautiful. I am the luckiest man alive to have you as my soulmate."

"And I am blessed to have you as mine." Amelia said and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. As her tongue roamed his mouth she felt two very sharp points she would one day know.

Eventually they parted and Amelia went into the house. Matt had fallen asleep before she could talk to him. She settled with tucking him into bed and decided she would talk with him tomorrow. She went into her room and hung up the white dress and put the jewelry in a special compartment. She laid her amulet on her nightstand and put on her pajamas. Finally she would get the sleep she needed. And she would need it; she had another long day tomorrow. She prayed that the council would not drag Matt into the meeting. He didn't need to go through that.

A/N: What will happen at this council meeting? Will Matt be brought further into the fray? Only time will tell.


	10. X

**A/N: I am soooo sorry that I have not updated this or any of my other fics in so long! I have been busy working on my sister account but now I'm back. I have really gotten back into the Cyberchase swing of things especially since I have gotten back into Insanity. Which, after I finish posting this and the epilogue, I will post the first two (and maybe third chapter) of Insanity! Yay I'm so excited. About the fanart... On hiatus for right now. I'll get to it soon I hope but every time I set to do it something else comes up. But if you want to see what I do have go to my DeviantArt page. I'm BlondeWolf16 there. In my gallery there are folders for my respective stories.**

**Please read, review, and enjoy!**

**I don't own Cyberchase, duh. If I did it wouldn't have been cancelled!**

You Can't Escape

Kawaii Stella

X

Despite the events the day before, Amelia slept quite peacefully. Even though she slept peacefully, she was not at all eager to drag herself out of bed one the sun rose. If it weren't for her ever annoying alarm clock, she wouldn't even know the sun had risen since she was on the west side of the house. Her alarm clock went off at 5:55 a.m. Deciding she deserved more sleep, she turned off the alarm and crawled back into bed and closed her eyes. To her dismay, she was awoken again five minutes later by a rapping on her window. She tried to ignore the sound by pulling the covers over her head but to no avail.

"Ugh!" Moaned Amelia as she got out of bed and went to the window to open it. "What! Oh…" her anger died down when she was the cloaked figure on the roof outside her window. "Uh oh."

"Amelia Brooke Night. I am here to deliver a summons to you by the High Spirit Council. You are to be brought in front of the Almighty Sages precisely one hour from now. You are to be in proper attire for the hearing, understood?"

"Yes, I understand," Amelia solemnly told the page.

"Very well. Do not be late," the page warned then vanished, leaving Amelia totally alone.

Amelia sighed as she looked at her clock. She wouldn't be getting anymore sleep today. Knowing that being even a millisecond late would be very bad Amelia quickly scurried to the shower and cleaned up. She had been so tired last night that she hadn't bothered cleaning up. As she washed her hair with hot water, the cut on her arm stung. Although the cut was sealed it was still very sore.

While she blew dried her hair, Amelia desperately hoped neither that Matt, nor anyone else be brought into this mess. As soon as her hair was dry, she wove it into an elegant, golden French braid. She put on her uniform, a tight blue camisole under a white, robe like shirt that came to the elbows or so, paired with a sash around the waist. The top half of the ensemble was paired with white capris and black flats that tied around her ankles for support. On her wrists were silver cuffs with various insignias and jewels for strength, balance, and protection. The sash was blue and green plaid to declare her family heritage. At this point she had fifteen minutes before her meeting. She gathered all the things that had been confiscated and put them in a storage cube for easy transport.

She knew it was time to leave when a veil of nearly transparent light appeared .That was her door into the Spirit Realm. In front of the great hall was where she stepped through to. Amelia entered the great hall and waited in the lobby until she was summoned into the hearing chamber.

At precisely seven a.m. Amelia was taken into the chamber to face the Sages. Cloaked in robes of various colors, they carried on undeniable aura of authority. Amelia grew anxious as she waited for one to speak. Finally the head councilman spoke.

"Amelia Brooke Night, you have been brought before us to report on the Spiritual disruption late last night on the Cybersite Castleblanca. There are also other things we'd like to discuss with you. So please have a seat, Amelia," The head councilman said.

Amelia took a seat in the armed wooden chair behind her. She began to get an ominous feeling that she wasn't going to like some of the things she was about to hear.

"Please tell us, Ms. Night," Council woman, Jane, began. "What happened leasing to last night's e vents and what information you gathered as a result of last night's events?"

"Yes ma'am," Amelia said and began to tell the tale in brief. "Two days ago, my younger cousin Matthew went to the Cybersite Castleblanca with three friends on a request to investigate a disturbance on the site. During his investigation, Matt was hit by a vile that we now know contained "Nightmare of Demons". This is the vile with the remainder of the cursed potion," Amelia said as she gave the vile to an assistant who gave in to the Council. "Over the course of approximately seventeen and a half hours, I was able to research and concoct an antidote for the cursed potion.

"What transpired next," the head councilman, Miles, asked.

"I, along with a few close acquaintances of mine, went to Castleblanca to give Matthew the antidote. Upon finding a trail of suspicious magic, we split up. He to follow the trail and I to find Matt."

"Were these acquaintances fellow werewolves Ms. Night?" A different female council member asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Amelia answered truthfully.

"Then you were captured, correct?"

"Yes."

"If you were captured, who then, got the antidote to Matthew and freed you?"  
"My partner, Tonio."

"Then you ended the magic ring?"

"Yes," Amelia concluded.

"We wanted to hear a few things from another source, so we brought one in." Jane said and Amelia heard a yell.

"Where am I? Let me go!" It was Matt's voice. Amelia was appalled.

"You leave him out of this!" Amelia screamed at the high council. "He's been through enough! Matt doesn't need to put through one of your horrid interrogations!"

"All he has to do is answer a few simple questions and we will return him home," Miles told Amelia.

Another page brought Matt into the room. The page walked Matt behind Amelia to stand next to her. When Matt realized that it was Amelia in the chair, he asked,

"Maye, where am I? What's going on?"

Amelia jumped up from her seat and hugged Matt. She held him by the shoulders and said, "Beta, you've been brought before the High Spirit Council. All you have to do is answer a few questions and then they'll send you home."

"O-Okay," Matt said then turned to face his council.

They asked if what Amelia said about the potion had been true and Matt said yes. Then Jane started to ask other things.

"Now Matthew," Jane began. "We feel as if your dear cousin Amelia has omitted a few things from her testimony. We'd like you to fill in the blanks for us."

To this Amelia kept her mouth shut. Matt simply nodded his head.

"Alright," Miles began. "Tell us, do you feel as if any remnant of the curse remains in your body?"

"No, I've felt great since I drank the antidote."

"Wonderful," Miles responded. "Amelia has certainly proven herself worthy as a potions master. On another note, we really feel as if Amelia left out a few details about her capture. Please tell us what you know about that."

"Well, when we went into the summoning room thing, I saw Amelia chained to the floor. She was pretty out of it, but when I called her name she came to. She told me to run; to find Tonio who had the antidote. When I tried to run a spell was cast on me, making me kneel on the floor against my will. Hacker, the guy who made the cursed potion, then stepped into the circle up to Amelia. Amelia was wearing a white dress and golden cuffs kinda like the ones she's wearing now only a lot more powerful. Anyway, Hacker grabbed her arm and cut a line in it, making Maye lose a bunch of blood into a pure silver bowl. I guess that was it until I was cured."

"So," Jane began. "After that this Hacker fellow gained the Keys until you were cured? And Amelia, we see your cut was healed neither by magic nor medicine. We'll talk about that later."

"Yes, ma'am," Amelia and Matt both said.

"Was that Hacker's last stand, Matt?" Miles asked.

"Well…, No, it wasn't," Matt truthfully answered.

"What happened?" Miles inquired.

"I guess Hacker was mad at Maye because she and her friends saved me. He went into the circle again, said something and called her a 'virgin sacrifice', then held up her amulet. Then this sinister white light appeared and tried to attack her, but Tonio helped save her from it. Once the light thing was gone, Hacker was arrested and it was over." Matt concluded.

"Very well. Thank you for your testimony, Matt," Miles said. You'll be taken home momentarily. This case is closed. Amelia, we still have a couple things to discuss with you and your consort."

"Why must you bring my boyfriend into this? You already bugged Matt!"

"We only have a few concerns, Amelia. This shouldn't take very long," Jane said.

Matt was sent home, and from the lobby, Amelia heard Tonio yell from the lobby.

"Where is she! What have you done to her?" Tonio demanded as he burst into the hearing chamber.

"Amelia," said Tonio as he ran to her and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Tonio," Amelia said.

"Tonio Alexander Hamilton," Jane started. "You, along with Amelia Brooke Night are now before us to answer a few questions over some concerns we have. You are to only speak when spoken to so that things go more smoothly. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," the couple replied.

"Very good," Jane said. "Now Tonio, it was you who healed Amelia's arm, correct?"

"Yes ma'am," Tonio said as he took Amelia's hand in his.

"Amelia," Jane continued. "You did say that your company was all werewolves, didn't you?"

"Indeed I did." To that the council members began to mumble to one another. "What are you trying to say?"

"What we feared is true then," A male member of the council said. "We believe that you two should no longer see each other."

"What!" Tonio and Amelia gasped simultaneously.

"It was admirable that you lied for you friend, Amelia, but it is for the best." Jane said.

"I haven't lied about anything!" Amelia yelled at the council.

"You indeed did lie, Amelia," Jane told her. "You are a werewolf, he is not. You two are of different species; an interspecies relationship simply will not work."

At that Tonio was furious. "You're saying I can't be with Amelia just because I'm a vampire?"

"That's correct," Jane said. "If you were a werewolf, Tonio, it could work but you're not."

"How do you know I'm not a werewolf? Besides, you could never separate us." Tonio said as Amelia wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Just out of curiosity," Jane said. "Why couldn't we separate you two?"

To this Amelia answered, "Because we're soul mates."

"You are calling to the Soul Mate Principle?" Miles asked then continued. "Although I haven't heard reports of the Soul Mate Principle occurring in a long time, it would explain a lot of things. There used to be stories of people changing species because of the Principle, but I have never seen it myself."

"But, there are no hybrids!" Jane interrupted.

"Uh, yeah, there are," Amelia said. "There are two good examples right in front of your face!"

"I never thought about it, but on at least one count, she's right," Miles said. "We've come to recognize Amelia as a werewolf so much that we forget she is in fact descended from vampires. So it is very possible for Tonio, if they are in fact soul mates, to have become a werewolf. Tonio, are you indeed a werewolf? If you are, please show us."

So Tonio shifted into his wolf form, amazing the council. He shifted back and took Amelia's hand once again.

"I see no reason to keep these two apart. Do you?" Miles inquired of the council. No one objected.

When no one objected, Tonio and Amelia cheerfully hugged each other, their hearts full of relief.

"You two may stay together," Jane told them. "However, since you two are still in essence two different species, in a year you two must have a bonding ceremony since you are two young to wed."

"That's fine with us," Said Amelia.

The couple held each other tight. They were at the end of this ordeal. Or so they thought.

"Before we can release you two to go home, we need to speak to you in private, Amelia," A male council member said gravely. "Tonio, you need to wait outside."

"What? NO!" Tonio protested as he was escorted back into the lobby to restlessly wait.

Amelia was escorted by five council members into a small private chamber. Now she was getting testy. Being tired, hungry and stressed did not suit Amelia well.

"What now?" Amelia angrily asked.

"Amelia," Jane began. "Time and again you've proved yourself a valiant and wise guardian. We see you have mastered the position excellently. So, we have all agreed that it is time to advance your position. Or, to put it as you kids do today, it's time for you to upgrade."

"Are you saying that…?"

"Yes, Amelia. You have proven that you are worthy for this honor. You reminded us that the soul mate principle still exists today. You have not forgotten you roots either. You are the ideal candidate to be the newest member of the Spirit Council." Jane said.

"I am honored," Amelia said humbly.

She was given a new dress and cloak and new jewelry to accompany it. Amelia couldn't believe that she was being made a member of the Spirit Council. She took her oath to protect and uphold the boundaries, laws, and legends of the Spirit Realms. After her oath, Amelia put her old guardian uniform back on simply because they were comfy and would make a good outfit for Zumba and Tai Chi.

Amelia went back into the lobby to rejoin Tonio.

"What did they want." Tonio asked her as they walked towards the veil that would take them home.

"They made me a member of the Spirit Council," Amelia told him.

"Wow! That's awesome!"

"Yeah, it's going to be pretty boring though. I hope they'll let me go out on missions now and again."

"I'm sure they will," Tonio said and laughed. "They had arrived in front of the veil. The ordeal was done. Now they could go home and finally relax.

But before the two stepped through the veil, Tonio scooped Amelia up into his arms.

"Tonio, what are you doing?" Amelia giggled.

"Well, since our bonding ceremony is in a year, I figure that I better get some practice carrying you over the threshold." Tonio said with a smile.

"Okay by me." Amelia grinned back.

Tonio carried her through the veil back into her room. He sat her on the bed where they both sprawled out. Amelia looked at her clock; the hearing had lasted five hours. NO wonder she was hungry. She'd skipped breakfast and now it was lunch time!

"Man I'm starving! I think a cheese burger pizza sounds good. Or your famous beef stew," Amelia said to Tonio.

"Did you even try to eat breakfast?"

"Nope; I had other things on my mind."

"Well, I guess I'm just going to make my beef stew this weekend."

"Yays!" Amelia squealed. "You got you r tux from the cleaners for tonight, right?" When Tonio didn't respond, Amelia asked, "You forgot didn't you?"

"No, of course not!" Tonio said as he got up from the bed and to the door.

"Then where are you going?"

"To get my tux," Tonio admitted.

Amelia laughed, "Alright pick me up here at seven thirty?"

"I'll see you then milady." Tonio said then stole a kiss before leaving.

A few minutes later, Aunt Maisy called up the stairs to Amelia.

"Amelia come down here!"

"Coming, Aunt Maisy!"  
Amelia met her aunt in the kitchen where Amelia's favorite type of pizza, cheeseburger, was hot on the table. She reached for a slice but Maisy swiped away the box before she could react.

"Not yet, Amelia. I need to talk with you. Besides, how many times have I told you not to eat while in uniform? Do you not remember the barbeque incident?"

"Yes, I remember," Amelia said, remembering that amazing plate of ribs.

"Why are you in uniform anyway? Does that explain why you came in so late last night? What about the man out your window?"

Amelia took a deep breath before she began. "Yes, I'm in uniform because I had to go to a hearing this morning because of an incident I had to take care of last night. That guy was a page delivering my summons. Anyway, I don't need this uniform anymore. I have new robes."

"Why did they give you new robes?" Maisy asked.

"Because I'm not just a guardian anymore; they made me a member of the Council."

"That's wonderful, Amelia! Good for you. I still don't want you to get sauce on that outfit. Go change and get Matt up and you can have your pizza."

"Okay!"

Amelia bolted from the table to her room where she changed into her favorite blue socks, blue jeans, and grey and blue baseball T that promoted the Henrysville Jaguars. She then grabbed an air horn and ran unto Matt's room. There she pounced on his bed, blasted the horn, and then screamed 'GET UP!' Then Amelia yelled 'PIZZA TIME!" and ran back downstairs to eat the pizza.

By the time Matt got downstairs Amelia had almost eaten half the large pizza.

"You ate half that pizza in less than ten minutes." Matt stated.

"Yeah, so?" Amelia said between bites. "You know I have a high metabolism."

"Yeah, whatever; Where's mom?"

"She went to the store and your dad is at Uncle John's. Have some pizza."

"Okay," Matt said as he took a slice. "Maye, what was Hacker really trying to do? I know he was trying to take over Cyberspace, but what would've really happened?"

"Well," Amelia began. "From what I gathered, Hacker was going to use the keys to harness the dark powers of The Spheres of Fears to raise an army of dark evil to take over cybersites and eventually all of Cyberspace. If he raised an army like that, let's just say that it would've been the beginning of a very dark, bloody age for Cyberspace.

"Sounds horrible," Matt said. "I'm really glad that you and everyone else were there for me. Especially you. Thanks, Maye."

"You're welcome, Beta."

"By the way, why did Hacker choose you to be in the ceremony summoning thingy?"

"I think it was just chance really. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I just wish that he wouldn't have used an injection to sedate me. What happened to good ol' chloroform? Getting tasered even would've been better!" Maye said.

"What did her mean by mystical core? I understand the virgin part; the guys gave me that talk a while back."

'Oh God,' Amelia thought to herself. 'Someday I have to have a long talk with those boys.'

"He was just referring to my magic heritage and superpowers." She said aloud.

"That makes sense," Matt said. He had one more question but his mom walked in.

"Hey you two," Maisy cheerfully said. "Buy, you wouldn't believe the crowd of last minute shoppers stocking up on candy for tonight! It was a madhouse!"

"Sounds like it," Matt said.

"Oh, Amelia," Maisy told her niece. "I thought about it and decided that Matt and his friends are big enough to go through this neighborhood by themselves. You and Elena only have to take them around town. That'll give you two enough time to get ready for the masquerade."

"Sounds good to me," Amelia said. "It's a perfect night to go howl at the moon," She said, winking at Matt.

Matt laughed and said, "Yep, it sure it. No curse or demon would dare try to mess with us tonight!"

"You two are so adorable!" Maisy said and walked out of the room.

"Adorable?" Matt said, skeptical.

"Awkward," Maye said in a singsong voice.

After a moment or two, Matt looked at Amelia and quietly asked, "Is it really over now?"

"Yeah, it is. You're safe now; those demons aren't coming after you anymore." Amelia said to Matt quietly looking for a brighter future, preferably demon and curse free.

Matt hugged Amelia in relief. Now the both looked forward to the exciting night ahead.

~The End~


	11. Epilogue

**A/N: The word Miakoda means Power of the Moon in a Native American language. Here, I turned her into an ancient goddess.**

**Alright here is the Epilogue! Yeah~ I had a ton of fun writing this one. :D I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cyberchase nor Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven. So don't sue me. ~ Love Kawaii**

You Can't Escape

Epilogue

At a quarter to five Amelia's best friend Elena McVoy arrived at Matt's house. Maisy sent her up to Amelia's room to put her costume on. The kids were in Matt's room waiting for the girls to finish getting ready.

When Elena entered Amelia's room, she found Amelia nearly ready to go already. Amelia was wearing the same thing she had been put in for the summoning ceremony.

"Girl, you look stunning! Where did you find that costume?" Elena asked.

"Thanks, Elena," Amelia said. "Not a costume though."

"Let me guess," Elena said, hanging the dress bag containing her gown for the masquerade in her friend's closet. "That dress has something to do with what happened last night."

"Yup, it did." Amelia said, finishing her make-up.

"Well, tell me what happened!"

Amelia gave Elena the eight minute low down. When she was through, Elena asked,

"So you were drugged and dressed in that sexy outfit to be used as a source for pure, magical blood? Ouch."

"Yes, but my prince charming rescued me," Amelia said smiling.

At this point Elena had her costume on. She was supposed to be a "scary" (not really) teddy bear.

"So who are you supposed to be?" Elena asked.

"It turns out I was dressed as Miakoda, who was a lunar goddess who was trapped and used like I was. Only he brainwashed her and turned her evil… Aw hell! Anyway, I'm dressed as the goddess Miakoda." She finished quickly."

"Aw hell what?"

"Elena, you know what's going on with me…," Amelia said quietly. "Think about it; is my situation that different from hers?"

"Yeah, it is. The big difference is that you're strong enough to fight it. You play hockey for crying out loud!"

"You're right, I shouldn't worry. I know I have good friends that'll help me keep my feet planted on the ground."

"You bet'cha! Ready to T-O-T?"

"Yep, sooner we get done, sooner we go to the masquerade!" Amelia said. Then she ran across the hall, slammed open Matt's door and yelled, "Alright, everyone in the car! If ya wanna hit all the good places ya better move it!"

The kids excitedly ran to Maisy's car. The kids got in the back while Amelia drove and Elena took shotgun.

Matt jokingly said, "Hey Maye, aren't you supposed to be wearing your glasses?"

"You want to be set on fire?"

"I'll shut up!" Matt laughed. They bickered like that all the time so it was nice to return to a sense of normalcy.

The kids trick-or-treated in town for about an hour. After they were done Amelia dropped the trio off at Inez's house where they planned their next route. They teens returned to the farm house where they did their hair. Elena wore a sleek French twist while Amelia's hair was mostly a bunch of loose curls pulled up into a bun with her long bangs feathered like wings.

Elena then donned her fiery red gown that had a long slit up her right leg and triangles cut out along the waist. The dress what lout cut, showing a sexy amount of cleavage and skin. The edges of the cut outs were adorned with crystals. With her mask she pulled off the sexy devil look superbly.

Amelia's look was inspired by her favorite poem, The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe. Her gown came to the floor. The skirt, slightly flaring from her hips, was a dark red with fine, sheer black netting atop of it. The top half was black and strapless, covered in faux raven feathers. She wore a choker of black pearls and black stiletto heels. Elena, however, had left her gorgeous pair of red stilettos at home.

"Man! I forgot my shoes! I'll just run home, grab them, and meet you and Tonio there."

"Alright, but what about your parents? I don't think they'd like you in that dress."

"Shoot! You're right. Do you have a trench coat I can borrow?"

"Yeah, in my closet. If your parents ask, you're a spy."

"Got it," Elena laughed and left with the coat.

Ten minutes later Tonio arrived to pick up Amelia. Amelia's aunt and uncle took many photographs before they let the tow leave. Mark and Maisy watched from the patio as Tonio walked Amelia to the passenger's side of his car. He opened and closed the door for her before getting in to drive to the masquerade.

The masquerade was held in an old mansion, well furbished and mysterious. Tonio and Amelia put on their masks and met with Elena in front of the mansion.

Together, the trio went inside, trying to figure out which masked figures were their friends. As they did they took a bunch of pictures. Before they really began to party, they went out back to take pictures around the fountain and woods under a large full moon.

By nine p.m. the party was in full swing. Tonio twirled Amelia around the dance floor, never missing a beat. During a lull in between sets while the band took a break, Elena sashayed over to Amelia and Tonio, who were getting a drink at the punch table.

"Hey guys! This is awesome! Are all the parties you socialites throw this fun?"

"Usually they are," Tonio said from beneath his mask; his arm around his soul mate's shoulder.

"Hey Elena," Amelia said. "I think you've got an admirer."

"Huh? Who?" Elena said, looking around.

"The dude in the James Bond suit," Amelia said, nodding towards a lean young man near the spiral staircase. "Go make your move! He's been watching you most of the night."

Then "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" began to play.

"Ah!" Amelia squealed. "I love this song! It brings back so many memories, doesn't it Tonio?"

"Indeed it does bring back some very good memories. Shall we dance, milady?"

"Let's," Amelia said and they twirled to the dance floor yet again.

Elena met up with her double 0 seven man who turned out to be quite a southern gentleman. They talked for several minutes and got to know each other a little bit. They two even shared a dance.

"You have very pretty hair," the southern accented gentleman complimented.

"Oh, well thank you," Elena said, subconsciously running a hand over her caramel colored hair.

They shared one more slow dance under the watchful gaze of Tonio and Amelia who were also dancing. When the song ended, a DJ had set up to play a more contemporary selection. However, a few drunken college morons barged in screaming, "Dude! That was righteous. Let's crash this party!"

But before they could, the sound of approaching police sirens filled the air. The group of people who had hosted the party yelled, "If ya don't want to be cought up in their mess, make a run for it now!"

Naturally, everyone rant for the hills, including Amelia, Tonio and Elena. Elena went home since it was already near midnight. Tonio dropped Amelia off at the farm house before he too went home to get some rest.

Once in the house, Amelia went to check on Matt. She found him outside on the roof in front of his bedroom window. In her ball gown, Amelia climbed out there to talk to him.

"Hey, how was trick or treating?" Amelia asked Matt.

"Hi chief, It was fun. I raked in a good haul this year. How was your masquerade?"

"It was fun until a couple of drunkards crashed the party with the cops on their tails. So, we all had to scram. We didn't even get to do "Thriller"!"

"That sucks."

"Yeah, are you okay? You seem like you've got something stuck on your mind."

"I do have something on my mind. You said in your note that you used the same jewels in your amulet as you did mine. Does that mean you're cursed too?"

"Some may say I'm cursed but really I'm just in danger of being possessed by that light thing you saw."

"But you okay, right, Maye?"

"Perfectly fine, kiddo. No more of ancient black magic coming at us anymore. Boy it's late."

"I'm glad to hear that," Matt said. "Was your dress inspired by The Raven? Since it is late, will you recite the poem to end the night?"

"Yep, my dress was inspired by that exact poem. Of course I'll recite it, it is my favorite poem after all." So, in a melodious yet somewhat eerie voice Amelia began to recite the poem.

The Raven

By Edgar Allan Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -

Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -

Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating

`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -

Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -

This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,

`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;

But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,

And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,

That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -

Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;

But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,

And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'

Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,

Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.

`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;

Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -

Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -

'Tis the wind and nothing more!'

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,

In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;

But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -

Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -

Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,

`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.

Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -

Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'

Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,

Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;

For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being

Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -

Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,

With such name as `Nevermore.'

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,

That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.

Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -

Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -

On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'

Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,

`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,

Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster

Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -

Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore

Of "Never-nevermore."'

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,

Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;

Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking

Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -

What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore

Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing

To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;

This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining

On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,

But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,

She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer

Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.

`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee

Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!

Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'

Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -

Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,

Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -

On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -

Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'

Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -

Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,

It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -

Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'

Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -

`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!

Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!

Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!

Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'

Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,

And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted - nevermore!

As Amelia said the last line, she and Matt looked to the bright, moon illuminated sky. They knew that demon was nevermore.


End file.
